Pelham High School Soaring to New Heights with Addition

The new addition to Pelham High School is well under way and, by the looks of it, is going to bring students’ education to new heights.

The addition has 29 new classrooms that are equipped to help teachers practice current learning strategies for students. Departments in the addition include math, English, languages, and brand-new science labs with more equipment than was available in past years. Pelham School District got everything they needed in the new addition: larger classrooms and collaborative working spaces for students.

According to Pelham High School Principal Dr. Mohr, construction of the new building should not interrupt students’ learning. Classrooms will be separate from sections of the school that construction workers are in, and the portables will be utilized to accommodate for the loss of space during this time.

So far, construction has stayed on schedule, and if it continues to, teachers will be given the okay to move into the new classrooms by the end of this week. The addition should be ready to open up to students at the start of the 2015 school year.

The $22 million investment highlighted and fixed all of the accreditation issues, and was able to stay on Pelham’s budget.

In the main building, the new student entrance features a larger, more open hallway. Lockers have been relocated and spread out to improve the overcrowding during the day. The contractors are still working on the new cafeteria that will be bigger and more functional than the current one. An auditorium is also in the works and will replace the stage in the cafeteria with a larger auditorium where the current art room is. All the classrooms are being renovated as well. The entire project and landscaping is on schedule to be completed in the fall of 2016 for the start of the school year. Dr. Mohr is planning to have a dedication ceremony at that time. Bonnette, Page & Stone, the Laconia, N.H.-based contractors working for Pelham, have done a great job so far, and thanks to the immense support of Pelham School District Superintendent Amanda Lecaroz, Dr. Mohr, and the school board, the new addition is something that Pelham residents can be proud of.

“It is so bright and cheery; it is going to be an amazing environment for learning. It was such a group effort, and I’m absolutely ecstatic. I’m just really happy for this community. It’s been 15 years in the making and they are going to be so proud walking into the building and seeing it finished,” said school board member Debbie Ryan.

The addition will be accessible to the public some time in October through an open house.